Rookie Knight Ian
The sharp taunt sliced through the training grounds like a blade. When I turned my head, a blonde woman stood there with her sword resting on her shoulder, sneering at me.
"What is this? They really let a male knight in~"
Sierra. The worst troublemaker in the entire order.
She snorted and stepped directly into my path, blocking me.
"A weakling like you joining the knights? Are you kidding me?"
Sierra leaned down, peering at my face with mocking curiosity. That forehead of hers always looked like it was begging for a good flick.
"Wait~ Can you even hold a sword properly? That blood on the tip isn't just from some lucky poke, right?"
Laughter erupted around us.
I let out a small sigh and spoke in a calm, even tone.
"I'll have to decline your interest, senior."
"Whoa~ Look at him acting all tough!"
Sierra jabbed a finger into my chest and shouted loud enough for every knight nearby to hear.
"Guys! Isn't this hilarious? A boy pretending to be a knight~"
At that moment, the crisp ring of armor cut through the noise.
"Sierra. That's enough. I won't tolerate anything that further damages the dignity of the order."
Elegant yet piercing eyes. A single strand of silver hair brushed across her face. Yuki, captain of the Imperial Knights Eungwang.
...It's been three years.
My unforgettable childhood friend. A subtle tremor touched the corner of her mouth. In my eyes, I still saw the girl from our younger days.
Sierra faltered at Yuki's appearance, but quickly stuck her lip out in a pout.
"Fiiine~ Captain~"
She turned back to me and whispered.
"Something like you won't last a week. I guarantee it."
Suddenly, a red-haired woman stepped in front of me.
The order's greatest battle maniac and training addict.
Clarice.
She grabbed my chin and lifted it.
"Ha, this is supposed to be a knight? Looks weaker than my training dummies."
"Clarice," a gentle voice interrupted. Vice-captain Lillian stepped in to mediate. "He passed according to regulations."
"Reguuulaaations~"
Sierra mimicked Lillian in a mocking singsong voice.
"Vice-captain, you're laughing on the inside too, right? A man becoming a knight, of all things~"
As Sierra continued to provoke me, my gaze naturally drifted downward. She was shorter than I expected.
"Once you see my skills—"
"Skills?"
Sierra cut me off and burst into loud laughter.
"Ahahaha! You actually think you can talk about skills? Let's see it then~"
With a mischievous grin, she drew a dagger from her waist and tossed it. Oh, this girl.
"Catch this, weakling."
Thud.
The dagger embedded itself at my feet.
"I'll give you three seconds. Hahaha!"
The surrounding knights exploded with laughter. I slowly picked up the dagger. Sierra's eyes widened.
"It would be wise to end these games here."
I tossed the dagger into the air. It spun three times before—
Swish!
A single strand of Sierra's hair drifted to the ground.
The training ground froze instantly.
"......You."
Sierra's low, icy voice chilled the air even further. Before the severed hair even touched the ground, her figure blurred.
Clang!
Daggers clashed, scattering sparks. Sierra's eyes narrowed into slits.
"You don't know your place? You dare touch my hair? You pathetic weakling!"
Her dagger snaked toward my throat like a striking viper. She was certainly fast. But her rage made her sword path completely obvious. I tilted my head just enough to let the blade slide past, then grabbed her wrist and slammed her into the ground.
Boom!
"Ugh...!"
With Sierra's short groan, a cloud of dust rose across the training ground. I pinned her wrist down and pressed the tip of the dagger to her throat.
"Senior. How does the training ground floor taste?"
The surrounding knights stared in shock, mouths agape.
Sierra—one of the order's strongest—had been subdued by a rookie. And not just any rookie, but a man. I could practically see those obvious thoughts flashing across their faces.
"L-let go! Where do you think you're touching with those filthy hands, you weakling! I'll kill you! Let go right now!"
Sierra thrashed against the ground, her face flushed crimson.
Her mouth spat every insult imaginable, but the thigh trapped between my legs was trembling faintly.
Was it from humiliation?
"Enough."
A cold voice fell from above. It was Captain Yuki. Her hand pressed down on my shoulder—gentle, yet filled with undeniable strength.
"That's far enough. Sierra, accept your defeat."
"Captain! This...! He fought dirty...!"
"Sierra, shut your mouth. You lost."
At Yuki's firm command, Sierra bit her lip and glared at me. As I stood up, she straightened her clothes, breathing heavily.
"Just you wait. Watch your back at night. I'm putting you at the top of my toy list...!"
Even as she fled the scene, she couldn't resist one last mocking jab.
I watched her go, then turned and gave Yuki a short bow. Looking at her always stirred up complicated feelings. Even the ones that had grown hazy over time.
"Thank you, Captain. However..."
"However?"
"I don't want any special favors. All I ask for is fair treatment."
Yuki's eyes trembled slightly.
"...Understood. Ian."
She gently bit her lip, turned her face away, and put distance between us.
"Then fulfill your duties as a proper knight, without any special treatment."
The Imperial Knights Eungwang.
In this place, I had become—
The first male knight.
Once the situation ended, the training ground began buzzing again. But the mockery from before was gone.
Meanwhile, Sierra was slumped on a bench in the corner of the training ground, scratching at the wall with her nails and muttering.
"Just you wait, weakling... I'm really going to kill you. You touched my body? You actually pinned me to the ground?"
After the chaotic commotion died down, only Yuki remained alone in the training ground.
She waited until all the knights had moved far away, then slowly lowered her gaze to the floor.
She stopped in front of the very dagger Ian had embedded in the ground—the one that had cut Sierra's hair.
With an expressionless face, Yuki bent down and picked it up.
It was just a standard-issue dagger, yet she handled it as carefully as if it were the world's only treasure, gently tracing the blade with her fingertips.
"Fair treatment, huh..."
A mysterious smile curved her lips. Yuki slipped the dagger deep into her bosom.
A knight who had accidentally witnessed the scene swallowed dryly and backed away, but Yuki paid him no mind.